Rotating machinery often includes thrust bearing assemblies to handle thrust loadings generated during operation. A conventional thrust bearing assembly may include stationary thrust bearing pads that engage a rotating thrust runner (“runner”). The thrust bearing pads and runner may be enclosed in a sealed casing that is filled with high dielectric oil. When the equipment is started, the rotating runner normally “drags” oil into and between the bearing pads and the runner. Importantly, delays in forming an oil film between the contact surfaces of these parts may be harmful. For instance, in situations when the assembly is static, an axial loading may displace the oil between the thrust bearing and the runner. Moreover, because the contact surfaces of the thrust bearing and runner may be extremely flat, these parts tend to “stick” together, an effect sometimes referred to as “wringing.” The lack of oil at the contact faces of parts that have stuck together at the crucial moment of equipment start-up can damage these contact surfaces as they rub together. If this process is repeated enough times through repeated starts and stops, a catastrophic failure may eventually occur.
The present disclosure addresses these and other problems of the prior art.